Thoughts on 9-11 a year later








Thoughts on 9-11 a year later




It’s hard to believe that a year has passed since Sept. 11, 2001.


Life has changed, and in many ways, it will never be the same.


A year ago, the harsh realities of the modern day world were brought home to America. For the first time since the Civil War, American lives were lost inside the continental U.S. in a brutal attack—an act of war. Worse, it was civilians who were killed, not members of the armed forces.


This is an ugly enemy, full of hostility and hard to find.


Our emotions flew through peaks and valleys; we were shocked, angered and depressed. American patriotism soared as we rallied behind our flag and president. We vowed as a nation to fight this enemy, wherever and whenever we could find him. Despite warnings that it would take a long time, we’ve become frustrated. Capturing or killing Osama Bin Laden is easier said than done.


Ironically, in the war of public opinion, Bin Laden is of greater value alive than dead—from both sides. The fires of hatred are hard to douse when the ultimate villain is still at large. And to those who blindly support him, he’s a knight in shining armor. There might be incentive for a cover-up—on both sides—if somebody found the body of Bin Laden.


A strong case could be made, of course, that Bin Laden is already dead and buried deep inside an Afghan cave. With his ego, could he resist the worldwide stage? Probably not; if Bin Laden successfully escaped from our armed forces, our unsurpassed technology and our ultra-modern weaponry, he’d be bragging about it on videotape.


In any case, we urge continued support for our president.


We’re less enthusiastic, however, about a unilateral invasion of Iraq unless we’re shown hard evidence that Saddam Hussein has developed weapons of mass destruction and the means to deliver them—or that he has a direct relationship with terrorist groups that threaten the U.S.


And this proof must be shown to the rest of the world.


In the Middle East, we’re already the targets of deep-seated hatred. The majority of the 9-11 terrorists were from Saudi Arabia, a supposed ally. Let’s not feed Muslim contempt by invading Iraq, killing or unseating Hussein, establishing a puppet government—and inspiring an even greater hatred of America.





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